Category Archives: Hyland Hills

Part of the recent $14 million in renovations to Hyland Hills Ski Area is a reconfiguration of the parking lots, including a controversial $20 daily fee for parking near the new chalet during peak hours. The fee may end up not making a lot of difference: If you were deterred from parking in the chalet lot before by a lack of space, not you’ll be deterred from parking there because of the fee.

During peak times, most people will park at the “remote” lots, just north on chalet road, and take one of the shuttle buses.

Shuttle buses take people to and from the Normandale lot

Compared with a few years ago, it’s now easier to find the location of the shuttle pickup in the remote lot. Two flags denote stopping points.

Shuttle stop for Hyland Hills

If you park in the far northern reaches of the Normandale (remote) lot, it may seem like a long walk to the shuttle stop. Then again, it’s probably in the range of what you’d walk at the far reaches of lots at Buck Hill, Afton, or one of the other ski areas.

Near the entrance to the remote lot, you’ll find a sign that tells you if you can proceed to the chalet lot free of charge, or if you might wish to consider saving the money and pulling into the free-at-all-times lot.

Sign by remote lot tells you the status of the chalet lot

The renovation has not removed one chokepoint for the ski area, and that is the railroad track that crosses the two-lane entry road to the chalet. Once you get past that, though, you’ll find a new roundabout.

Fork to the right of the roundabout, and you’ll find a lot for loading and unloading. You’ll have 10 minutes, at most.

Drop-offs and pick-ups only

The lot has some repurposed snowboards for anyone who is awaiting a ride.

Sitting area

There’s also a special place for a ride that most people would prefer not to take.

Injured at Hyland Hills? This is where you’ll get a ride.

If, instead of forking off to the right on the roundabout you keep going, you’ll get to a gate at which you must collect a ticket for the parking lot. This is true even if you are parking during off-peak (free) hours. Just be sure to get the ticket stamped at the guest services desk before you leave.

Parking lot ticket

The lot near the chalet features roughly nine parking lots that float between handicapped use and general-parking purposes, depending on events. When the Courage Center has an outing, for example, the extra handicap-accessible spaces come out. Otherwise, they’re covered with bags and available for anyone’s use.

Some parking spaces alternate between general parking and handicap parking, depending on need

Though the 2015-16 season is, to put it charitably, having a slow start, it does have one good thing going for it: a new chalet at Hyland Hills Ski Area.

The new chalet is on the same footprint, more or less, of the old building, and features, as did the old building, a two-story design.

Hyland Hills chalet, rear elevation

There’s still a ticket window on the parking lot-level for busy periods.

Ticketing area at Hyland Hills

Head inside if you wish to sign up for a lesson, or buy your ticket during a slow period.

Inside ticket sales, ski school

One new feature is a collection of changing rooms. It’s on the ground level, which is probably not ideal for skiers. On the other hand, they won’t have to carry a pair of heavy boots up the stairs. Once you’re done getting changed, there are several banks of day lockers in the building for rent.

Changing rooms at Hyland Hills

The ground floor level also has a greatly expanded retail shop that leans heavily on clothing and other soft goods.

Retail shop at Hyland Hills

The old building had a low ceiling and a jigsaw puzzle-like floor plan that impeded traffic flow. Not so with the new building. Everything on the second floor (and ground floor for that matter) empties onto a long hallway with a high ceiling.

Main hallway of the new Hyland Hills chalet, second floor

Each of the services offered on the second floor is set off from the hallway, much like a shop inside a (small) mall.

The various service areas on the second floor are set off from a main hallway.

The food service area has both made-to-order and grab-and-go stations, with an electronic sign that can be changed to reflect current offerings.

Food service stations at Hyland Hills

If there’s a weakness in the building, it’s in the seating area. It is now open, rather than interrupted by the food service and other functions. That may or may not be a good thing.

Public seating area at Hyland Hills

The rental shop is now an integral part of the chalet, rather than sitting separated from the rest of the action.

Rental shop

The restrooms are of the open variety that you’d find in an airport, relying on a 90-degree entrance rather than doors to provide privacy. Inside, the shelves above the fixtures have a stylized touch.

Customization in the restroom

The outside of the building features tall lockers suitable for storing skis and boards during the season.

The ski areas within the Twin Cities share many similarities. But that doesn’t mean they’re identical. One small way in which they distinguish themselves is the quality of their restrooms. Which ones are clean and well lit, and which ones are cramped and dingy? We reviewed them over the course of the 2012-2013 season, and published them on Examiner.com, in seven installments. All the information is assembled in this article, which is printed below. The original series included photos, which are not included here. (We may eventually post them.) As with any business, the ski areas may update their offerings from time to time, so the ratings may change over time.

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Skiers and snowboarders in the Twin Cities have six lift-served facilities to enjoy. There’s not much to set one apart from the other, at least in terms of terrain. But they do have different vibes, programs, and base facilities. Here’s a ranking of them by the quality of their restrooms. Is this a silly way of comparing ski areas? Perhaps, though restroom quality is part of the overall customer experience.

The rankings below consider a number of factors, including the quality of the lighting, the amount of usable space, the presence or absence of partitions between urinals, the materials used on the walls and floors, and quality of the sinks.

#1: Trollhaugen

Quick take: Trollhaugen stands out from the others in its pleasant use of materials, including brushed metal partitions and stone tiles for floors and walls.

Full review:

Sometimes it’s the little things that set one business apart from the others. In the case of ski areas within the Twin Cities region, one such little thing is the quality of the restrooms.

Trollhaugen, in Dresser, Wisconsin, features two restrooms in its main building. They’re on two different levels, though they have similar designs.

If a restroom at a Midwestern ski area can be considered visually pleasing, the ones at Trollhaugen can be. There is a men’s room on both the ground level and the parking lot level.

They have dividers between the urinals, which you’ll find at some though not all ski areas in the region. But what’s different is that the dividers, as well as the stalls, have a brushed-metal surface that is a step up from the standard four coat of paint that you may find elsewhere. The sinks have the same material.

In addition, the walls and the floors are stone tile more reminiscent of a decent restaurant than a day lodge. For drying your hands, there are paper towel dispensers.

Troll also earns points for not making customers who come off the slopes walk down a set of stairs to reach the restrooms.

The downstairs restroom has three urinals, three stalls, two sinks, two mirrors, two soap dispensers, and two paper-towel dispensers. The upstairs restroom is smaller, with only two urinals and two stalls.

#2: Hyland Ski & Snowboard Area

Quick take: The restrooms are on the main floor, with several urinals, stalls, and partitions. Hyland is unique among the ski areas in offering a shower. Other than that, there’s nothing exceptionally good about the men’s room. But Hyland ranks high because avoids some of the problems that plague other areas.

#3: Welch Village

Quick take: Welch Village has a very uneven approach to its restrooms. The main lodge restroom (pictured) is pleasant, with ceramic tile and adequate lighting and plenty of space. The restrooms in the ski school have an “unfinished basement in a new suburban development” feel. The restrooms in the basement of the rental shop, well, let’s just say the plumbing works. Finally, the restroom at the Madd Jaxx bar & grill, heavily used, is extremely cramped–to the point that Welch scatters portable toilets outside the building. Deer camp, anyone?

Full review:

There are many things that a ski area has no control over, such as the amount of natural snow it receives. But there are elements of the guest experience that it does have control over, such as the number and quality of its restrooms. Today it’s time to look at Welch Village, which is about 12 miles west of Red Wing, Minnesota. Welch has public restrooms in four buildings: the ski school, the rental equipment building, the main chalet, and a bar.

The SkiLink Learning Center (ski school) is a fairly new building. While it’s nice the main floor, the basement has that “unfinished basement” feel. The plumbing and heating ducts in the men’s room are exposed, and the framing of the stall for the ADA toilet, where it meets the outside wall, is shoddy. The floor is concrete, and the walls are a combination of cinder block and poured concrete. On the positive side, it’s large, and opaque windows allow in plenty of natural light. The restroom has one urinal and two toilets, two sinks, two soap dispensers, and two paper towel dispensers.

While the SkiLink men’s room has the feel of an unfinished basement in a new suburban development, the men’s room in the ski-rental building has the feel of a root cellar. It’s dark and dingy. Dingy, faded red bricks make up the floor; the walls are cinder block and poured concrete. The inadequate lighting was made moreso this day by the fact that the lights near the two urinals was flickering on and off. The urinals, by the way, have a divider between them, and auto-flushers, which helps control smells. One oddity of this room is that the urinals/toilets and sinks are back to back, so after you’ve done your business, you have to walk to a separate room to wash up. There are two sinks, each with a mirror, and two paper towel dispensers. There’s one bottle of hand soap on a shelf above the sinks. Just outside the restrooms is a long hallway lined with lockers, used by ski racers and others. If you need to put on crash pads before hitting the slopes, or simply want a warm place to put on your boots, the hallway is a decent location, as it’s close to the parking lot.

The main chalet has the nicest restrooms, one on the main floor and one on the second. They are mirrors of each other. The “civilized” touch starts with the fact that there are no outside doors, so if you’re a germophobe, rejoice. It has five urinals (with dividers between all of them) and three stalls. (One stall is ADA compliant.) There are three sinks, two soap dispensers, and two paper towel dispensers. Even better, there are two large garbage cans to receive the spent paper towels. The floor and the walls are pleasant; the floor is ceramic tile, and the wall is finished. While there is no natural light, the overhead lights are more than adequate to the task. Bonus: The main-floor restroom doesn’t require navigating any steps.Clearly, this is the “top loo” at Welch.

The men’s room at Madd Jaxx, the bar at the eastern end of the property, is not as dingy as that of the rental building, but it’s probably the worst of all the facilities at Welch, for this simple reason: The bar has a rated capacity of 150 people, but there are only two urinals (no dividers) and no stall. There are three soap dispensers and two paper towel dispensers, but oddly, only one sink for all that. Worse yet, the placement of the sink, garbage can, and stall conspire to make the entrance/exit strictly a one-person affair. That is, if one person is leaving and the other is entering, someone’s going to have to wait.

#4: Afton Alps

Quick take: Afton is, by Midwestern standards, a sprawling place, with two entrances, 18 lifts, and six chalets.

The men’s room at the Alps, the main lodge, is pleasant enough, with ceramic tiles, a shelf above the urinal to store your gloves, and bright lighting. The restroom in the Highland Chalet, is similar, though both suffer from the “gross out” factor of relying on cloth towels, which evoke the feeling of old-school gas station restrooms. In addition, the men’s rooms in the other chalets have concrete walls and floors (not always in good shape), and require lengthy trips down stairs.

Riders and skiers may wonder what Afton Alps will look like after Vail Resorts pumps $10 million into it. One result may be some spiffed-up restrooms.

Full review:

Afton has the most chalets (five) of any ski area in the Twin Cities, reflecting its status as the largest by size and customer base. The “premier” chalets are Alps, in the northeast part of the property, and the Highlands, in the southwest. In between the two are three other chalets. The tubing chalet is open only during tubing hours (more restricted that skiing hours). Near that tubing chalet is the Meadows chalet, which is by one of the two rental shops on the property, and serves the ski school. Finally, the Alpine chalet is, like the Highlands, on the top rather than the bottom of the river bluff. It’s seldom open.

The other day I visited Afton, and while there, stopped in at the Alps and Highlands chalets. Both are heavily used, with the Highland frequently used on weekends for traveling ski and snowboard schools.

Both chalets are far and away nicer facilities than the three others, which feature concrete hallways, long sets of stairs, and shabby-to-basic restrooms.

The restrooms at the Alps and Highlands chalets are easily accessible. Once you enter the Alps chalet, you do have to climb a short (three or four) set of steps to the first-floor restrooms. Better yet, at the Highlands chalet, there’s no steps at all. Skiers, especially, will cheer.

Both chalets also get credit for having modern tile on both the floors and on the walls, which gives the restrooms a pleasant appearance. On the downside, both chalets use old-school cloth towels on a roll.

The Alps restrooms (there is one upstairs near the bar, as well as on the first floor) are the nicest. They’re bigger, and both upstairs and downstairs restrooms have cushioned chairs that you can sit on to adjust your boots or even change change into your ski/ride clothes, something you won’t find elsewhere.

On the lower level, you’ll find three stalls, each with a hook for hanging up a coat or helmet. There are also seven urinals, in two banks, but no dividers. This is the practice at Afton, and it’s a slight demerit when it comes to a men’s room. On the other hand, the two banks of urinals in the lower level each have a long shelf, for placing gloves. For some reason, they’re not upstairs or (as I recall) at Highlands.

The lower level restroom has three sinks with a common countertop, three mirrors, and two soap dispensers. There are also three cloth towel dispensers.

The upstairs men’s room has a much lower capacity, with two stalls (only one with a coat hook), and only three urinals. But as with downstairs, there are three sinks, two soap dispensers, and three cloth towel dispensers.

The upstairs restroom has an outside door reminiscent of a a “nice” gas station, while the downstairs restroom uses design to avoid the need for an outside door.

The men’s room at the Highland chalet has a similar design, and no outside door. It has only two stalls and three urinals. As with the Alps chalet, it has three sinks and two soap dispensers. It has three mirrors and two cloth-towel dispensers. For some reason, the tile floor is more likely to be slippery than the floor of either restroom in the Alps chalet.

#5: Wild Mountain

Quick take: Wild Mountain is a great family place, and its restrooms on the main floor of the chalet are easy to get to. They have baskets, so you can rest your gloves while you’re going about your business. The restroom in the bar is pleasant enough, but the other set of second-floor facilities has a ceiling that will bother anyone approaching 6 foot tall.

Wild gets nicked in the rankings because the ground-floor men’s room is so basic. Too basic, in fact. It’s the only one among the six ski areas that has a urinal trough, giving the most heavily used men’s room the “drunken football fan” look.

Full review:

Wild Mountain regularly makes national news as the first ski area in the country to open for the season. It’s noteworthy for another, less glamorous fact: You never have to walk down a flight of stairs to use the restroom. And if you’re a germophobe, you’re in luck: All restrooms are configured in a way that don’t require you to open a door.

There are three public restrooms at Wild Mountain, all in the chalet. One is on the main level, and two are upstairs. Let’s start on the main level. The men’s room has one long urinal trough, and three stalls. In the stalls you’ll find wire baskets hanging on the wall above the toilet water tank. This is a nice touch; it lets you put down your gloves or mittens while doing your business. The restroom has two sinks, two soap dispensers, and two automatic paper dispensers. The floor, as it is in the other restrooms, resembles what you’d find in a Burger King or McDonalds restaurant.

Now to the upstairs. The party room has its own set of restrooms. The men’s room has three urinals (no partitions between them) and three stalls. The stalls don’t have baskets, a curious omission. If you’re on the tall side, be careful: You may knock your head on the angled ceiling.

The restroom has two sinks, two soap dispensers, and two automatic paper towel dispensers. There’s also roughly a six-inch step down into the restroom from the party room, so watch your step!

The bar has the best restroom in the building. There are two chairs near the entrance, which you can sit on to adjust your boots. Though the restroom is attached to the bar, it’s also the most child-friendly facility of the three. One of the two automatic towel dispensers is set at a lower height, as is one of the three soap dispensers. There are two sinks.

There are no partitions near the two urinals, though one is lower than the other. Both of the stalls have baskets above the toilet water tank, and the handicapped-accessible stall also has a chair and diaper-changing deck.

#6: Buck Hill

Quick take: Buck Hill has four restrooms for public use, including one in the lower level of the building that houses the ski school (pictured). But this ranking is based on the restrooms in the main lodge.

It’s not that those are the worst of the bunch–the one in the basement of Welch’s rental building holds that distinction–it’s the hassle factor of getting there. They’re down a narrow set of stairs.

Snowboarders, thanks to their soft boots, have an easier time of it than skiers, but even they can’t avoid the fact that the frequently has traffic jams.

Full review:

For members of the general public, Buck has four restrooms: One in building that houses the main lodge, and three more in the one that houses the ski school and bar.

The Main Chalet hosts the food service area, and is the obvious place to head to when you need to go. Unfortunately, its restrooms are “ski area classic,” which means they are downstairs. Snowboarders can more easily navigate the 16 steps up and down, though skiers will have a more difficult time of it. The stairway itself is narrow, so you may have to wait for it to clear before heading up or down.

The men’s room was reasonably clean on the day I visited. It’s a nice version of what you might find in an unfinished basement: Concrete walls with some sort of treatment on the floor to make it look slightly less industrial. There are four urinals (no partitions) and two stalls, with heavy, wooden doors. The washing area features two sinks and two soap dispensers, plus an automatic paper-towel dispenser.

The other three sets of restrooms are housed in a second building.

Since the ski school is the means by which Buck Hill hopes to entice people to say with the sport, it’s no surprise that it has the nicest restrooms on the property. It has one handicapped-sized stall. The partition between the two urinals shows the first step up to a “higher class” restroom.

After you’ve done your business, don’t forget to wash your hands! There are three soap dispensers. In a nice touch, one of them is closer to the counter level, to accommodate young skiers and riders.

It has two means of drying your hands: an automatic paper towel dispenser, and a hot-air machine. The room was reasonably well lit, and clean when I visited.

The party room, to the south of the ski school but in the same building, has its own set of restrooms. It has one stall (small) and one urinal. The counter showed evidence of water damage and needed to be clean. The room has an automatic towel dispenser, and one soap dispenser. The walls have the look of having been painted over and over and over, and the floor is perhaps the most unpleasant-looking one on the property.

If you’re in the mood for a brew, head upstairs to Tucker Bar, which has its own set of restrooms. They’re on par with the restrooms near the ski school, though not quite as nice. One stall, two urinals.

Obviously, nobody heads to a ski area simply to use the loo. But using the facilities is, for good or bad, part of the experience.